Poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Fire’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Fire’ characterized by having intense red bract color with an orange glow; medium-sized, flat involucre with moderately lobed bracts; intense dark-green foliage with weak lobes; compact and low, relatively wide plant habit; medium to early flowering response; and relatively good keeping quality of bracts and foliage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofPoinsettia plant known by the cultivar name ‘Fiscor Fire’, andbotanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima.

‘Fiscor Fire’ is a product of a mutation induction program carried outby the inventor, Katharina Zerr, in Hillscheid, Germany, in 1994. Theprimary objective of the induction program was to expand the bract colorranges of ‘Fiscor’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,364). ‘Fiscor’ ischaracterized by its relatively dark red-colored bracts, dark-greenfoliage and comparatively compact habit.

The irradiation program comprised exposing rooted cuttings taken fromplants of the parent cultivar to an X-ray source of 30 Gy dosage inAhrensburg, Germany, under the supervision of the inventor. Theirradiated plants were grown out in a greenhouse in Hillscheid, Germany,and were asexually propagated by the inventor by taking cuttings. Theplants resulting from these cuttings were screened for mutations assmall, flowering, single-stem plants beginning in the fall of 1994. Themutations discovered were identified by numbers. Parts of plantsexhibiting a mutation of interest were left to develop vegetative shootswhich were used as cuttings and grown out.

‘Fiscor Fire’ originated from a single plant (No. 338) having intenseorange-red bracts, which was discovered in the early summer of 1995. Theplant, which was apparently completely mutated, was propagatedvegetatively by taking cuttings, and the resulting plants were screenedfor uniformity in spring of 1996 prior to further propagation. The clonewas examined more closely during 1997, when it was compared to itsparent variety ‘Fiscor’. Horticultural examination of the clone startingin 1998 and continuing thereafter has confirmed that the combination ofcharacteristics as herein disclosed for ‘Fiscor Fire’ are firmly fixedand retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of ‘Fiscor Fire’ which in combinationdistinguish this Poinsettia as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Intense red bract color with an orange glow;

2. Medium-sized, flat involucre with moderately lobed bracts;

3. Intense dark-green foliage with weak lobes;

4. Compact and low, relatively wide plant habit;

5. Medium to early flowering response; and

6. Relatively good keeping quality of bracts and foliage.

‘Fiscor Fire’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength withoutany change in genotype. The following observations, measurements andcomparisons describe plants grown in Langley, British Columbia, Canada,under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial practice.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similarin comparison to ‘Fiscor Fire’ is the parental cultivar ‘Fiscor’. Incomparison to ‘Fiscor’, ‘Fiscor Fire’ has a brighter bract color with amore orange-red hue, less intense anthocyanin coloring of the stem andless intense red petioles. The finishing time for ‘Fiscor Fire’ is thesame or slightly shorter than for ‘Fiscor’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying color photographic illustration shows typicalinflorescence and foliage of a mature potted plant of ‘Fiscor Fire’,with colors being as true as possible with illustrations of this type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plants described were grown in a greenhouse in Langley, BritishColumbia, Canada, in the fall of 1998. Rooted cuttings were planted into15-cm pots on August 10, and were pinched on August 20, leaving 8 nodes.The minimum temperature was 23° C. until October 10, 20° C. tomid-November, and lower thereafter. The plants initiated flowers undernatural short-day conditions in the fall.

Observations and measurements of 15 week old plants, after planting ofrooted cuttings, were mainly taken at the beginning of full flowering.In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society (R.H.S.) Color Chart. The color values weredetermined indoors in a north light.

Classification:

Botanical.—Euphorbia pulcherrima.

Commercial.—Poinsettia cv. ‘Fiscor Fire’.

Parentage: Induced mutation of ‘Fiscor’.

Plant:

Form.—Shrub, self-branching.

Growth habit.—Moderately compact under natural light conditions in fall,weak to medium growth, pinched plants are bushy and relatively wide.

Height (including 12 cm high pot).—Approximately 39.9 cm.

Width.—54.3 cm.

Average number of branches.—8.7.

Average number of inflorescence.—8.0.

Stem color.—Light to medium green, RHS 143A to 144A, with weak infusionof anthocyanin, brownish RHS 176B.

Peduncle.—Light green, RHS 143C, about 6 mm long.

Rooting.—Medium, sufficiently rooted for transplanting after about 20days in a greenhouse at a temperature of 22-24° C.

Blooming habit.—Flowering response time under natural short dayconditions in autumn: botanically (cyathia open) — around December 1;commercially (bracts colored, marketable) — in late November.

Flowering response time.—About 9 to 9.5 weeks.

Foliage:

Shape.—Broad elliptical, with rounded or slightly acute base, weak lobesand acuminate tip.

Edge of margin.—Entire.

Texture.—Upper surface: Smooth, flat and only weakly veined, color ofveins is about RHS 146D or lighter; the basal part of the midrib hasonly little reddish coloring, like the petiole, though weaker. Lowersurface: Flat and smooth except for the slightly protruding midrib andfiner side veins, which are arranged in a pinnate pattern; the veincolor is light green, RHS 145C.

Size.—Leaf blade length is 12.5 cm; leaf blade width is 8.4 cm; petiolelength is 7.5 cm.

Color.—Generally a uniform dark green. Mature foliage: upper surface isRHS 139A. under surface is RHS 137B. New foliage: upper side is aboutRHS 143A. under side is about RHS 137D.

Petiole color.—Red to dark-red, near RHS 53B.

Aspect.—Petioles and leaves are mainly horizontally directed.

Disease resistance.—Typical, no special observations made.

Flowering description:

Whole inflorescence.—Almost flat and horizontally directed with thebracts in an overlapping arrangement and with a tight center already atthe beginning of flowering.

Keeping quality.—Relatively good.

Number of bracts per inflorescence.—7-9.

Diameter of inflorescence.—25 cm.

Size of bract.—Largest true bract is 13.7 cm long and 8.6 cm wide;petiole is 1.8 cm.

Bract shape.—Ovate, with rounded base, acuminate tip, and with weaklobes; the smaller, younger bracts are broad elliptically shaped andusually without lobes.

Bract texture.—Flat and smooth, almost no rugosity; the veins arearranged in a pinnate pattern and are hardly visible on the uppersurface. The color of the veins corresponds to the bract color orappears slightly darker, while the veins on the lower surface areusually lighter; brownish-pink, about RHS 47B or lighter.

Bract color.—Generally a deep orange-red; uniform and without fadingnear the margin. Upper surface: Near RHS 44A. Lower surface: RHS 45B-C.

Secondary bract.—Broad-elliptical shape, round to acute base, no lobesor very weak lobes, margin entire; upper surface near RHS 44A, and lowersurface RHS 45B-C; largest secondary bract about 9.5 cm long, 6 cm wide.

Petiole color.—Red, about RHS 45A.

Cyathia.—Few, about 10 in a narrow cluster, about 25 mm wide. Diameterof the single cyathium 6 mm. Color: Mainly light green, RHS 143C, withmedium-green patches, about RHS 137D; top is red, near RHS 44A.Retention of the mature cyathia: About 2 weeks, depending on growingconditions. Nectar Cups: One nectar cup per cyathium, medium sized, 5-6mm diameter, 4 mm length, golden yellow, RHS 12A, usually no anthocyanincoloring near margin.

Reproductive organs:

Stamens.—About 20; red filaments, RHS 45A, fertile, yellow pollen, RHS12A.

Pistils.—One per cyathium, style and stigma are red, RHS 45A; 6-lobed,trifurcate stigma.

Ovaries.—Triangular, 3 ovules.

Fruit/seed set: No observations made.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct poinsettia plant named ‘Fiscor Fire’,substantially as illustrated and described.